LAGUNA HILLS – Out of the five candidates running for Laguna Hills City Council, three have been actively raising money for their respective campaigns for two open seats.

Leading the pack for the cumulative time period is current Mayor Pro Tem Joel Lautenschleger, who has outraised Mayor L. Allan Songstad and newcomer Ellie Michaels-Smith.

The other two candidates, Riley Clark and Kathy Burrow-Byrne, did not turn in campaign finance records, and indicated they wouldn’t raise and spend more than $1,000.

“I’m not raising any money for my campaign. I’m not putting any signs out. It’s just word of mouth and door to door visitations,” Burrow-Byrne said. “I know a lot of people in town.”

Lautenschleger, a businessman, has raised about $13,000, including a $5,000 loan he made to his campaign, according to reports. His major individual contribution was $1,000 from Chuck Schreiber who is listed as a partner of KBS Realty Advisors. Contributions in the amount of $100 to $500 came predominantly from residents in Laguna Hills. Contributors included Realtors, investors, retirees, and business owners.

Lautenschleger credits his community involvement outside of City Council for the individual contributions that have been made to his campaign.

“It is going well. I’m walking a whole lot of streets and the community has given me a lot of good support. People are looking at what we’ve accomplished over the years,” Lautenschleger said. “I think they respect good leadership… and vote accordingly.”

Lautenschleger has spent about $11,000 with the bulk of it going toward campaign literature and mailings.

Songstad, who has raised about $12,700, has outspent Lautenschleger and Michaels-Smith, spending about $11,200 with the bulk of it going toward campaign literature and mailings.

“I think our campaign is going well,” Songstad said. “We’ve been working hard and talking to a lot of people and we’re optimistic.”

Songstad, a lawyer, loaned himself $5,000.

Contributors for Songstad’s campaign included CR&R, Inc., CREPAC-Orange County, Doctor’s Ambulance, and a $2,000 donation from his law firm.

Songstad and Lautenschleger were first elected to the City Council in March 1991, the year the city incorporated. Songstad previously served as mayor in 1993, 1997 and 2003. Lautenschleger served as mayor in 1995, 2000 and 2004.

Michaels-Smith, a 58-year-old teacher and real-estate broker, has been the most active challenger in raising funds. She’s raised about $12,040 with the majority coming from a $10,000 loan she made to her campaign.

According to reports, Michaels-Smith’s main contributor is the Orange County Professional Firefighters, which gave her campaign a $1,000 donation. Michaels-Smith has spent about $9,400 toward campaign literature, mailings, messenger services and other costs.

Michaels-Smith has been going around the neighborhood promoting her campaign using a scooter.

“It’s going really well. I have a lot of good support,” Michaels-Smith said. “I hope that I do get elected…fresh ideas and a new face on the council would get more people in the community involved.”

Clark was unavailable for comment.

The general municipal election for Laguna Hills is Nov. 4. The term for office is four years and council members are paid $623.66 per month.

Alejandra Molina writes about immigration, race, and religion for the Southern California News Group. In her decade-long career, she has reported how gentrification has affected downtown Santa Ana, how racism contributes the high black infant death rate, and how President Donald Trump is impacting undocumented communities across Southern California.